Timed up and go values in older people with and without a history of falls

Abstract

Background: Timed Up and Go (TUG) is used to assess the risk of falling of older people. Aim: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of TUG as a predictor of falls in older adults. Material and methods: TUG was measured in 148 independent community-dwelling older adults aged 75 ± 7 years (85% women). Of these, 58 reported having a fall in the previous year. Analysis of the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve was performed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of common cut-off times used in clinical practice. The times required to perform the TUG as quickly as possible (best fitted time) and at the usual pace (common time) were registered. Results: Participants with a history of falls had higher TUG times than their counterparts who did not fall (10.9 ± 3.9 and 9.2 ± 2.6 s, respectively). By age groups, only in the 60-69 age group the differences between those who fell and those who did not, were statistically significant (p < 0.05). A cut-off of 9s generates the better sensitivity and specificity for the test (0.60 and 0.57, respectively). For 60-69 age group the best cut-off time is 8.2s, with an increase in sensitivity and specificity to 0.73 and 0.68, respectively. Conclusions: There were differences in TUG values between participants with and without a history of falls. Determining TUG cut-off values by age groups improves the sensitivity and specificity of the test, especially in the 60-69 age range.